


Cat Mountain

by Beltenebra



Category: Arashi (Band), Johnny's Entertainment, NewS (Band)
Genre: Anthropomorphic, Cat/Human Hybrids, Fluff and Crack, Humor, M/M, Magical Realism, Shameless Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-07
Updated: 2016-11-07
Packaged: 2018-08-29 17:49:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8499391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beltenebra/pseuds/Beltenebra
Summary: Aiba underestimates the power of suggestion.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This fic grew out of a one sentence crack drabble I wrote _ages_ ago. As far as the title goes, for the longest time I referred to this fic simply as: NeKoyama. A friend said I should name it 'Cat Mountain' as that title would cover both the 'neko' and the 'yama' bits. I've never been one to pass up a perfectly ~~bad~~ good pun.

"Are you hungry, Kei-chan? Dinner is ready! I know you prefer salmon but all I had today was cod. Oh! But I tried something really interesting with steam cooking this time, you'll have to tell me what you think."

"Aiba, you know that cat is not going to answer you, no matter how good your cod is."

Aiba looked up at the kitchen doorway to find Sho grinning fondly at him. He turned back to his sleek, caramel-colored tabby and scratched its ears, "Don't you listen to him, Kei-chan. He's just jealous because you're my favorite."

"Which he absolutely knows. You don't make _me_ steamed fish."

He grinned back at Sho just as the rice cooker dinged, "Sho-chan, you're just in time for dinner. Would you like some cod?"

"It smells great, did you do something weird and science-y to it?"

He laughed, "Maybe~ but it's delicious! Look, Kei-chan approved!" He gestured to his cat who had just finished gobbling his fish and was delicately licking his chops.

Sho chuckled and sat down at the small table, "I really don't want to know how many of your chemistry techniques you use in food you feed us do I?"

Aiba just smiled sunnily.

Sho heaved a sigh and pulled up a chair, "Well, if it's good enough for your fuzzy little princess...thanks for the food."

Later that evening, bedded down with his cat curled into the crook of his arm and purring, he thought about his friend's teasing remarks. He had had Keiichiro for nearly three years now. He remembered that day with crystal clarity...

It was dark and raining, he had stayed late again at the school lab and he was pretty sure Oh-chan and Nino would have beat him to his apartment by now. Which meant that dinner wasn't even started and he would probably be on the receiving end of a mournful Oh-chan pout. He cut through the park like he usually did and he was nearly home, just passing the stand of maples where he liked to have lunch when the weather was nice, when he heard a small, plaintive sound that stopped him in his tracks. It only took a few seconds of searching to uncover the tiny, sodden bundle of fur. The kitten looked right up at him and mewed like it had known he would be coming and only needed to inform Aiba of that fact. He crouched down and the kitten nudged his hand until he picked it up. "Hey little guy. You don't have a collar, are you out here all alone?" The kitten nibbled his thumb and mewed again, like he was answering Aiba's questions. "Would you like to come home with me? It's nearly time for dinner." The tiny animal started purring loudly and immediately, snuggling itself into Aiba's cupped hands. So this kitten could understand him or... it was pure dumb luck. Either way, he couldn't just leave him here. He chuckled and tucked the kitten into his jacket, "Loud and clear, little guy." They headed for home.

Aiba had called him Keiichiro just because he liked the name and had taken to talking to the cat like he would any of his other friends. Except unlike the rest of his friends Kei-chan nearly always let Aiba snuggle him and was considerably less sarcastic. And he never whapped Aiba over the head, that was a plus. Kei-chan kept him company when he lonely and although he wasn't big on advice giving, he was a great listener. He didn't even mind Aiba chattering on about his latest experiments.

That night, Aiba drifted off to sleep to the soft and soothing sound of a quiet purr, his long fingers twined with the silky fluff of Koyama's fur. His last thought was that Kei-chan was, in nearly every way, the perfect companion.

***

It had been a totally normal day, he had woken up to his alarm blaring with just enough time to get himself and Kei-chan fed. He dashed through the park and skidded through the door of his first class just as the professor called the class to order. It was one of his light days, class-wise. On Tuesdays he was done early and usually met Jun and Oh-chan for lunch. He had a text from Jun informing him that he had an assignment that was due _immediately_. Knowing Jun, that meant his project was due next week but since he wanted everything to be perfect, he would be fussing over it until the second he turned it in. Aiba headed over to the art wing to find Oh-chan covered nearly head to toe in smeared clay and what appeared to be a close kin of paper mache. He just nodded and waved Oh-chan his goodbye from the hallway. He didn't want to have to dry clean his shoes again. He didn't mind having lunch at home, maybe later in the afternoon he would see if there was free space in the lab. He made notes in his head as he walked, he wanted to talk to some of his friends in the Biology track about obtaining fish native to the arctic for a supercooling experiment.

But all thoughts of permafrost and arctic fish flew from his head when he let himself back into his apartment. It took him a couple of seconds to process what he was seeing. He must be more tired than he thought... He blinked hard, but when he opened his eyes the scene was unchanged.

Sprawled out nearly the entire length of his couch, completely asleep, was a young man who looked to be about his age. He had fluffy, golden-brown hair and tanned skin that glowed with the light of the convenient patch of sun he was napping in. Oh yes, and he was utterly nude. Aiba blinked again, studying the narrow, handsome features and wracking his brains for any reason this person should be in his apartment. _Naked._ The naked was a little distracting. He watched as a pink tongue flicked out to moisten equally pink lips and although he knew he had never seen this person before, he couldn't shake the overwhelming feeling that he knew him, that the guy belonged here.

Maybe he shouldn't be standing here with the door wide open when there was a strange, naked boy on his couch. He had closed and locked the door and was just toeing off his shoes when he realized that Kei-chan hadn't come out yet. He wasn't usually shy of strangers and he always came out to greet Aiba when he heard the door.

"Kei-chan," he called softly, deciding that he could deal with the stranger in a minute.

"Hmmmmmm?"

Aiba froze, the sleepy murmur had come from the couch. The stranger was stirring, blinking dark eyes and sitting up.

Still no sign of his cat, time for questions. He frowned at the stranger, "I have no idea what you're doing h- wait a second. Are you Nino's doing? I bet you are. That means there is a camera around here somewhere."

The stranger watched him, clearly confused, as he stomped around his living room examining places a video camera might be hidden. "Whatever joke you think you're playing it better not involve my cat." Aiba made his way through the rest of the apartment, not finding either of the things he was seeking. He was actually starting to get kind of worried now. He tamped down his fear and confronted the boy. The boy was still sitting, well sprawling really, on the couch, seemingly completely at ease with his own nudity.

"Where is the camera, and where is my cat!"

The stranger blinked at him, cleared his throat and repeated, "Your cat?"

"Yes! My cat! However you got in here, you must have seen him. Small, golden tabby-cat, answers to Kei-chan?!"

The stranger blinked again and his lips slowly stretched into a brilliant smile. "Of course. Yes. I... think that would be me."

Aiba took this opportunity to sink into a pile of disbelief on the carpet, the anger completely gone out of him. "You... think you're my cat?" 

"I'm fairly certain of it." The stranger went on in a calm, matter-of-fact tone, "You found me in park, in the rain, about three years ago. You have very strange friends and are a creative cook. Last night for dinner you made blue fin tuna with some kind of sauce, it was lemony and tasty."

He was sure that any of his friends could have told someone that his cat was rescued from a park and that his cooking was odd, but that last detail... he had been alone in his apartment last night. Well, him and Kei-chan. Who was now nowhere to be found. He looked up at the stranger helplessly. "How did this happen? You didn't drink any of the stuff in my workroom, did you?"

"No, when I went to take my morning nap, everything was quite normal, I assure you. I only woke up just now. I'm as confused as you must be." He looked down at himself, Aiba watched as he trailed his hands down his torso, then held them up to examine his fingers. "I seem to have misplaced my fur. And my tail, that's going to take some getting used to."

"Do you think this will be permanent?!"

The strang-, Kei-chan, _man that was weird_ , ignored his slightly panicked question. His eyes lit up as he grabbed something small and shiny, "But I still have this!" It was his collar, the little blue collar with a name tag and a silver bell. Kei-chan's eyes were solemn, "This is very important to me."

"Of course," Aiba heard himself answer faintly. Kei-chan smiled again in response, then he stretched his arms over his head, bending his back in a perfect arc. Aiba watched the sleek muscles move under smooth skin and swallowed hard. "Hey, would you like some clothes?" 

"I'm good like this, but if you recommend them it's fine."

Aiba leaped up and practically ran back to his room, closing the door behind him. So his cat was now human. A human man. An incredibly gorgeous, naked, _beautiful_ human man. He caught himself wondering if this new Kei-chan liked to cuddle as much as kitty Kei-chan. "I'm sure that's an incredibly inappropriate reaction. Except, people's cats just don't turn into people every day, right? So how could there possibly be appropriate or inappropriate reactions? Maybe, I should stop hiding in my room muttering to myself."

He rifled through his drawers to find some of his oldest, most comfortable sweatpants and an over-sized t-shit. Anything to cover up all of that... right. Aiba thought that he needed to get out more and maybe he would finally take Nino up on his threats to sign him up for internet dating. It couldn't possibly be more insane than this, right?

He had just stepped through the doorway to the living room, holding the clothes in front of him like some kind of protective talisman, to find Kei-chan watching him, all of his attention focused on Aiba. The man had a wicked glint in his eye, Aiba had never really thought about what small rodents must feel like when confronted with a predator, but he imagined it must be a lot like this. He was shivery, his gut tightening with, it wasn't fear not exactly, more like... anticipation? Kei-chan stalked towards him with graceful strides and he almost looked like he was hunting. Almost.

Aiba backed up a few steps and Kei-chan didn't change his pace a bit, didn't hesitate to back Aiba straight up against the wall. Aiba knew his eyes must be wide and more than a little panicked, he opened his mouth to apologize but shut it with a sharp click of his teeth as Kei-chan stepped in even closer, pressing the long lines of his body to Aiba's from shoulder to knee. Aiba squeezed his hands in a fist to keep himself from running them over all of that lovely skin while Kei-chan leaned in to rub their cheeks together in an unmistakable gesture of affection. His voice was warm and rumbly as he spoke in Aiba's ear, "I wish you weren't so tense, we've known each other for so long."

Aiba debated whether it was worth explaining the probable shock to the human psyche that might result from the very sudden shifting of one's perceptions of someone, from seeing them as a pampered pet to a potential sex object; leaving the impossibility of shape-shifting aside entirely... He train of thought was utterly derailed by Kei-chan pulling back just enough to look him in the eye.

Kei-chan's dark eyes were serious, brimming with intelligence and affection, "You made me yours all of those years ago, I just want to return the favor." He punctuated his statement by sliding one slim hand down Aiba's body, trailing long fingers lightly over the erection Aiba had failed to will away. Aiba's gasped breath was shaky but Kei-chan's voice was steady and sure, "Let me take care of you, Masaki."

Apparently Aiba's helpless whimper was answer enough because Kei-chan was suddenly a graceful, concentrated whirlwind of movement. He flicked his pink tongue out to lap at Aiba's mouth in tiny exploratory licks at Aiba's lips until he responded, Aiba's mouth falling open in a moan, his hands coming up to Kei-chan's hips to pull him closer. Aiba tilted his head to fit their mouths together properly, sliding his tongue against Kei-chan's enjoying the approving rumble that resulted. Kei-chan's hands flitted along Aiba's torso as they kissed, he drew one up and down Aiba's side lightly running his nails over the skin, making Aiba shiver a little into their kisses. He had kept his other hand between their bodies; even though they were twined together too tightly for him to move it properly, Aiba was intensely aware of those long, clever fingers wrapped around his cock.

_Rationality is definitely overrated_ , Aiba thought as he let his own hands wander, sliding one back over Kei-chan's hip to rub the smooth skin at the base of his spine. The sound Kei-chan made seemed caught half way between a groan and a giggle, "It feels weird, without my tail. But good, _really_ good." He punctuated his explanation with a swivel of his hips that ground their cocks together and had them both moaning. Aiba didn't stop, dragging his fingers back and forth, back and forth across the sensitized patch of skin as Kei-chan gasped against his lips. "Masaski, please... I've got to do something. I want... I want to feel you."

Before Aiba could ask him to clarify Kei-chan was sinking down to the carpet, pulling Aiba along with him. He had just enough presence of mind to grab a bottle of lotion off the coffee table and slide it back across the carpet as Kei-chan tugged him onto his knees with eager hands. "This will make it easier," he managed to choke out as Kei-chan draped himself over Aiba's back, cock rubbing maddeningly against his ass. Luckily Kei-chan was a smart cat because it had been far too long for Aiba to maintain enough presence of mind to give more than the most general direction. Kei-chan figured it all out, long fingers moving inside of Aiba like he had done this before.

When Kei-chan finally pressed into him he could only hang his head, overwhelmed by sensation, answering Kei-chan's soft growl with a low moan. Kei-chan moved his hips smoothly and inexorably hitting him just right; but it was really the slide of the other man's graceful hands up his spine, the possessive curl of fingers around his hip, and the soft rumbling groans pressed into his shoulder that were driving him crazy. Kei-chan nosed the nape of his neck briefly before sinking his teeth down in an unmistakable gesture of domination that pushed him over the edge bucking and gasping. A few more deep thrusts and Aiba felt heat blossom deep inside him as Kei-chan followed him with an operatic yowl.

All of their collective grace failed them as Kei-chan slumped over him, flattening Aiba into the carpet. He didn't really want to move but this wouldn't be comfortable for much longer. He nudged Kei-chan until the other man flopped off of him with a contented little sigh.

When Aiba had gotten enough of his mind back to think properly and caught his breath enough to speak, he rolled onto his side regarding the other man who was stretched out in a boneless sprawl, head pillowed on his arms, completely at ease. "Are you worried this is going to be weird? I mean, even if you stay a human," _Please let him stay human_ Aiba silently begged the powers that be. _I like him so much and this is so warm and comfortable and I don't want to lose this feeling._ "Even then, you were my pet and I kind of... owned you."

Kei-chan gave him a wry smile that tilted his eyes up at the corners in a way that made Aiba want to lean in and kiss him again. "You know cats don't really have _owners_ , right? We have people we love who we let take care of us. You can keep doing that," His eyes sparkled with amusement, "we'll just have to redefine the parameters of 'care' a little. Besides, cats are practically human anyway. Now if I was a dog, we would have some _real_ problems."

Aiba blinked at him and suddenly the wonder and wackiness of the whole situation just hit him. He flopped onto his back, helpless to stop the laughter literally shaking his body. He could only roll around, holding his stomach, gasping out incoherent bits of sentences around breathy giggling that in no way answered the questions on Kei-chan's face. " _Real problems_! I... You... oh, man!"

Luckily for both of them, Kei-chan had been privy to several years of Aiba giggle-fits and just smiled indulgently before gracefully collecting himself and padding off towards the kitchen. Aiba had finally run out of hysterics and hauled himself up to sit back against the couch when Kei-chan handed him a steaming cup.

"Is this tea!?" Aiba couldn't quite keep the incredulity out of his voice. "Where did you learn how to make tea?"

Kei-chan beamed, "I've watched you do it _hundreds_ of times." He held up his hands and wiggled his thumbs, "And now that I have these handy opposable thumbs, it's easy!"

He curled up warm and snug and perfect against Aiba's side; Aiba felt like a missing piece had been slotted into place. No, not a missing piece exactly... more like a piece of a puzzle that hadn't been oriented quite the right way. One little twist and a click and suddenly everything was just as it should be. Aiba sipped the tea and directed his happy sigh into Kei-chan's soft hair; Kei-chan just purred.

~~~

Omake:

He had spent a few days worrying about how to explain the new development in his life to his friends. He thought and worried and fretted so much that when they finally came over to meet his new boyfriend he ended up just blurting everything out, the whole story with no equivocating. Well, minus the smutty bits which he thought Nino might enjoy far too much for anyone's good. He needn't have worried, his friends were amazing. They didn't haul him off to a sanitarium or anything. Sho spoke for all of them saying that if there was anyone he could think of this happening to it would be Aiba, the rest of them nodded thoughtfully and then they all got on with their very pleasant evening.

Kei-chan and Jun were in the kitchen rummaging through the fridge and debating recipes while Sho and Ohno competed for the title of 'worst Tekken player ever'. Aiba turned to Nino with a smug grin. "My cat makes tea. Really good tea!"

Nino looked irritated, directing a scowl in Ohno's direction. "Dude, my _boyfriend_ doesn't even make tea."

Aiba couldn't keep the goofy grin off of his face, "He's really helpful, not just a nice piece of tail!" Kei-chan, who had apparently returned from the kitchen without him noticing, made an adorable noise of irritation and lightly smacked the top of his head. Aiba didn't mind a bit.


End file.
